It is Tuesday 18th May 2021 and Darrol the engineer has just left the boat after fixing a few issues involving leakage. Mainly a leaking stern gland and leaking engine coolant. We are back moored in our old mooring by Horninglow Canal & River Trust Services in Burton-on-Trent.
On Sunday morning we had a family walk into Shardlow, which had some nice canalside redevelopment but seemed a little twee and artificial.
The pubs were hoping for good weather for outdoor Sunday lunches. Indoor eating and drinking is due to start tomorrow.
Sympathetic restoration of canalside industrial units was in evidence.
We saw some some cygnets on the walk back.
We had rain on Sunday as we tackled 4 locks, stopping for lunch after Weston Lock where we had a violent thunderclap outside our window from a passing torrential storm. We did wonder what would happen if lightening hit the narrowboat! We moored up at Swarkestone and had more torrential rain.
Yesterday we left Swarkestone and joined a queue for Stenson Lock. The rain started again. We swung into fancy Mercia Marina to fill up with red diesel.
In the Spring 2021 budget HM Treasury confirmed that following public consultation it had been decided that recreational boaters' entitlement to use red diesel would continue beyond April 2022 in Great Britain, something that the EU were trying to stop.
In October 2018 the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland had failed to fulfil its obligations under Council Directive 95/60/EC on fiscal marking of gas oils.
The government intended to abolish the scheme introduced in 2008 that allows users of diesel powered private pleasure craft (e.g. yachts, canal boats and motorboats) to purchase red diesel and pay the duty differential between red and white diesel on the fuel used for propulsion. Thank you Brexit.
We chugged into Burton-on-Trent and moored up. Vera was happy to sniff along the Kingfisher Trail which runs parallel to the tow path.
On Tuesday afternoon we had a family walk into town, passing The National Brewery Centre which still seems to be closed, and found Bubbles Launderette before shopping in Sainsbury’s. Hilary didn’t get any free refreshments while doing our washing but she did meet the Australian Cockatoo who had a penchant for chocolate. Vera and Steve had to wait outside in the rain in case we upset the bird.
All the pubs in this area seemed to have closed for good, probably because the residents are either Moslem teetotallers or Polish folk who buy their favourite Polish lager in Zielona Zabka convenience stores and drink it at home or on the canal tow path!
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